Apparatus for separating the meat from shells of cracked nuts



April 29 1924.

L. G. KIMBER APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE MEAT FROM SHELLS OF CRACKEDNUTS h Filed Dec.- 13. 1922 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 29, 1924.

L. G. KIMBER APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE MEAT FROM SHELLS OF CRACKEDNUTS Filed bee.

13, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 tax 2 J97 paratus designed particularlyforseparating Patented Apr. 29, 1924.

mom-ran srarrs LOYD exnvmnn, or SACRAMENTO; GALIFORQNIA,ASSiGNORTOenownnsnxonanen or SAN rR noIsco, oALIroitnIa, A conro'aa'rron on cam--v rozenm.

im mws a snrniaarrite ms ranar riaom snnnts or onaolkj ifiinnrsg I? f IApplication iiledDecember 13,1922. Serial no. 1:06:25?

To'all whomz't may'concern: Be it known that IiLOYDGQKIMBERfa citizen ofthe United Statesrresiding at Sacramento,"in the county of Sacramentoand 5 State of California, have inventedcertain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Separating the Meat fromfShellsiof CrackedNuts, of Which the followingfis a specification;

s invention relates toa separating apthe meats from theshe'lls of'crackednnts. I The principalobjects of-lthis inventionare to provide an"apparatus which is adapted for operation at an eXtreinelylowcost onewherein the; material tobeseparated isde livered in successive chargesto 1 the action r of theseparatingf nedium, thereby, enablingtheseparation of material of one charge be tore another charge'ispresented} A' fi'irther object i'sto rovide afnov'elform' of materialreed Ineo-hani"sin and to provide a means 'for discharging the meatsfrom the apparatus.

' With the above inentio-ncd' and other objeiots invview, the inven'tionconsists in the hereinafter 'des'crilie'd,' illustrated in. the ac vcompanying drawings andpointed oiit-"in the claims hereto appended it"being understood that varions'changes 'inthe for-in, pro portion, sizeand minor details of construction within the scope of the claims mayberesorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invcntion l i To more clearly comprehend theinvention, reference is} directed to theaccoinpanying drawings,wherein-- Fig. l -is a view inside elevationof the preferredembodimentof rny apparatus. Fig. 2 is a detailed sectional view of thereciprocating. gate and themeans for open ating the same to deliverintermittent charges of material to successiveelevating pockets. i .i

Figl 3' isa view in'end elevation of the apparatnsillustratediii Fig.

Fig. 4 is alvertical sectional'view ofthe separating duct taken on lineofFig. 3n

novel'construction and combination of parts a ig. 5 is alsoa' view of.the separating duct taken on line-5-51of F ig; 4. 5 "Referring'moreparticularly to the 'di'awf ings wherein like charactersdcsignatefc'orresponding parts,- 1 indicates a suitable d ngated framesupportedhy legs or ineinbers 2. The frame at one end carries the materialreceiving h0pper 13 having an inclined bottom 4 falling shortofjconnecting with the front wall 5, thus providing an open 1 oingwall/ofwhich comprises thelfflight of an cndless conveying belt 7..The front wall 5 of the hopper is provided with an outlet 8norrnallyfclosed by a vertii callyreciprocating gate 9 whiohis adaptedto rest on'-a"fiight oi the conveyingb elt; The foonveying 'belt is ofthef'endl'ess type and is "horizontally disposed and" operates around"supporting rollers or drum's ld to' dispose theupper flight there'oi insnbstan tially horizontal positionin contact with the '70 lowenedgeofthebottom-A and 'lower edge of gate 9., Forwar'cllyfjfrom the"ga't'ef9 'exc tends'anarrn 11 c,arry1ng'{a r0ller 12'adapted torest ontheupper flight of the belt and limits the "downward movement of the"gate.

A shaftj13 mounts one oftherollcrs'lo and is connected with a drivemechanism for pp crating the roller to drive the belt. The arm 1 1 isprovided withra 1atera1;ext ns1on;13'; mounting the" idler 14, which isadapted to contact with the'surface of a gateopemng caml5 secured to theshaft 13.- 1 On each revolution'l'of the shaft 13 it will heohserved'that the action of the cam 15 011 the idler 14. will raise thegate 9,'-permitt 1jng $5 the belt 7 w deliver'a charge of material fromthe hop-per, 'whioh charge' is out 01f mediately on'the peakof cam 15passingbe neath the idler 14,"'permitting the gate to dro 7' so 1fiertically disposed above the frame, ad jacent the discharge of thebelt 7', 1s an e'le vator housinglt, and withinthesame 1s p0 sitione'd apocketed endless elevator 17 opera ating around the top and bottom drnms l8, the upper of which is preferably dIlVBH by a belt [connection 19;and 'said drum' also transmits power throu h a belt 20to a wheel 21onthe end of shaft'18, thus operating said chute is adapted to deliversuccessive 2' f. r. j

the conveyor 7 in timed relation with the operation of the elevator 17 gA; chute" 21 extends outwardly and up-I wardly from" the wall of thehousing 17 to a point to, receive-the'material; transferred by theconveyer belt? 7 from the} hopper, '.and

charges into successive buckets of the elemor as thef samei approach-theinlet Zopen;

.ing-22 in the-wall of the housing 16.

7 To maintain the surface of the belt 7 c lean ,,I. position a. suitablepivotally mount-v ed lilfl ish23ibeneath the chute 21 with the brushbristles in contact with the surface o of the belt. Q 7 I Projectinginwardly into the; elevator housing 16 at a pointbfllOW the upper ele-,

vator supporting dr um 18 torece-ivethe materialdischarged bythepassageof the succ ess;ive buckets over the upper drum,- isxa j;downwardly incl'inedplate24-forming a directingxwall fonconveying-theunsep-arated material exterior of the elevator housing; 16 throughaniopening 25 in the housing wall.

' .-f-' l?. gwfiue 01?, air blast duct26 ex": tends vertically abovethefr-amel at onevsid e r of the-elevator housing ;l;6, and into thesamedischarges the unseparated material; passing throughthef' opening -25."At a point belowsaid opening-1 25.- the duct 26 is shut off, by

' a: transverse b aflle; or chute- 27'; extending. lat

orally therefrom. 1 The airfblast forced up.:-. r wardly insaid duct 26is divided beneath the V I V V s a di ided channelSQS which communicatewith :Lthelduct; at a point above the bafileQZ through bafile: 27;-;and, passes upwardly through; the

openings 29 inoppositelsidesofthe ductwall 1 I fatiazpoint below theopening 25.

s ,It will-be observedgthatthe air blastissa iingt from the openings 2is directed a transverselywof; the duct and-causes aseparating actionionthematerial as it enterstheduct 7 I throughthe opening to elevate thechatl' andlshells upwardly in :said duct 26,;permittmgthe heavierparticles, such as the meats,

togdroponto the b'afile 27 by which' they are] conveyed from the duct onto the endless conveying belt 30-,disposed at oneside of the frame" 1:and..Whi.ch receives the meats and discharges the same through:achutefil at 1 the}endaof-the'framei'l.

fTho upper end of the, duct 26 terminates 1 j & er "32:11:, One sidethereof into which {the-chaff and shells separated from the nut. meatsare conveyed by the air'blast. The chamber is Vented by a screen 33 andlsprovided' with a. door '34] for-permitting access thereinto. The}separated 'chafi and shells discharge from the chamber through theopening 3 11;, through '7 which extends a trolled by a gate'B'Z isconnected atjits outlet end 38 withkthe lower end of the duct'26thejshellsQ and supplies air under pressure in th'edirection of thearrows'Fig. 4,theret'o. V V A motor 3'9is' carried by the frame and isconnected through a drive belt 40 with the blower 36. The belt 19 whichdrives the elevator passes at-its lowerjendover a pulley.

40, which pulley is in turn driven through a i,

'7 reduction drive 41 by the motor 39.

It will be apparent that I have provided a mechanism wherebyintermittent charges of material released from thehopper are de-'livered into successive bucketsof-anelevator l on'vthe registering; Qfthe bucke s, with the charge receiving chute, andalso that I'haveprovidedan air blast separator wherein the air current is divided priorto acting on the material to be separated and acts on thema terial fromopposite directions,v r

Having-thus described my invention, what I claimlas new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is ea 1.,An apparatus for separatingthe shellsfrom themeat of crackeclnuts, comprising j a hopper having an outlet, acontinuously moving pocketed elevator for elevating the material to bevseparated,' means between the V elevator and hopper for recelvingvsuccessive V charges of material from said hopper, outlet.

and for delivering thesameto the, pockets of said elevator as the 1pockets. are: moved} into co-operative relation with thesaid means, a

means therein for'sep'arating the magma 2. an a pmtas at sass-11 a galefrom theimeat of crackedgnuts,comprising I ahopper'having an outlet,acontinuously 7 moving pocketedelevator for elevating the materialtobeseparated, means between the GlQVSJI'LOPfiLIld'hO er for receivin"successive a V is charges of material fromv said hopper-"outlet aud tor,delivering the same. to the pockets of said elevator: as saidpockets aremoved into co-operative relation therewitln a ate for; said'hopperoutlet, :Imeans operate J in timed relation with the movementofthe-elevator for intermittently actuating said gate V to admit;successive charges rotmaterial ".to

flow from said hopper outlet onto the conveyor, a duct downwardly intowhich-said elevatordischarges the material to hesepa H separating the Qrated, and: means, therein for meat fromthe shells; I 7

3. An. apparatus for separatiiig'the shells 7 from the meat of crackednuts, including a continuously moving conveyor'me'ans, an: air 7 ductprovided with divided channels-leading from the ductjat'one-pointfand'intersecting the sameat another-point through oppositesides ot' the duct, meanssforadirecting?ma J rec terial discharged fromsaid conveyor memwhich said lighter material is discharged, an bersdownwardly into said duct at a oint outlet in said duct through whichthe heavier above the connection of said channels t erematerial drops bygravity, and a blower for 1 with, by which lighter material is actedupon creating an air blast upwardly in said duct.

5 by the opposing air blasts and forced up- In testimony whereof I havesigned my wardly in said air duct, a trap into which name to thisspecification. the upper end of said duct leads and into LOYD G. KIMBER.

